Kids with disabilities get sense of normalcy at camp

Hilary Smith

Monday

Aug 27, 2007 at 12:01 AMAug 27, 2007 at 3:18 AM

Through the generosity of 23 area Rotary Clubs, 100 kids with disabilities have attended camp for free for 52 summers.

The first thing many people notice about James Rosato is his wheelchair. But after a few minutes in his company, the chair fades into the background and James’ impossibly large, inquisitive brown eyes become his most prominent feature.

A short conversation with James reveals a well-developed sense of humor and an eloquence most 11-year-olds don’t possess, and it soon becomes apparent that James, despite his cerebral palsy, is an ordinary kid.

For two weeks each summer, 100 kids like James — boys and girls ages 9 to 16 with a variety of disabilities — come to Camp Babcock Hovey in Ovid, Seneca County, to experience Rotary Camp Onseyawa. Seventy well-trained staff members watch over the campers as they swim, learn archery and riflery, make s’mores, sleep under the stars at the frontier living area, take part in nature activities, throw clay on a pottery wheel, take photography lessons, act in plays and even produce their own podcasts and radio broadcasts. Some activities, like swimming and handicrafts, take place almost every day; others, like the Rotary-sponsored carnival or the grand ball, are one-time special events.

“It’s so fun,” said Lindsey Arsenault, 16, of Farmington, who has attended camp for five years. Her favorite camp activities include making campfires, eating s’mores, writing in her journal, and helping to produce the podcast. Lindsey, who has multiple disabilities, also met one of her closest friends at camp last year; Leanne Strong, 14, of Victor is now Lindsey’s tent mate, and their parents have become friends as well.

Although Leanne has been diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, also called PDD or high-functioning autism, she thrives at camp and sometimes serenades fellow campers with her confident, resonant singing voice. “Leaving on a Jet Plane” is one of her favorites.

The camp, now in its 52nd summer, is funded by 23 area Rotary Clubs. The name “Onseyawa” comes from the first two letters of the name of each of the four counties the camp serves — Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Wayne. Memorials and private donations also help to cover the $1,000 that it costs to send each child to camp for the two weeks, said Camp Director Sandy Ottley. Applications for campers and staff, offered online this year, are made available in the spring, and Ottley notifies those who were selected early in the summer. The 100 camper spots fill quickly, and there’s always a waiting list, Ottley said.

A nurse or family member accompanies the one or two campers who require more intensive medical care, but the other campers, whose disabilities range from blindness to Down syndrome, live in tents and go about their activities just like any other kids would do, at any other camp.

Staff members come from all over the area, and many work as occupational and physical therapists, teachers and counselors during the school year.

Though they’re paid a stipend for working the two weeks, “most of them would work here for nothing,” said Ottley, who has been the camp’s director for six years and has worked at the camp for 17 years. Her husband, Paul, is the camp’s chef; their daughters, Ryan and Rachael, worked at the camp as teenagers; and now Rachael’s 4-year-old son, Christian, stays at camp with his grandma.

For campers and staff, the benefits of Camp Onseyawa are clear. It gives them all a chance to forget about their differences and just have fun in the woods.

“The biggest benefit to the campers is that they’re in a place where they are unconditionally loved and accepted. And the same goes for the staff,” said Ottley.
“So much of their lives are in a place where people are cruel and judgmental. They wish this was their world all year round, and I do too," she said. "At least for two weeks, they can have it."

Check out www.onseyawa.org to read the official Camp Onseyawa blog, download the podcast or view the camp’s donations wish list. Current items on the list include CB radio base stations, archery equipment, computers and golf carts.

Hilary Smith can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 343, or at hsmith@mpnewspapers.com.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Site Links

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Clay County Advocate - Press-Flora, IL ~ 105 West North Avenue, Flora, IL 62839 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service